Highlights of Part 1: Himitsu no Arashi-chan viewership demographic:
23.7 % females age 35-49
19.5% females age >50
15.5% males/females age 13-19
14.8% females age 20-34
7.6% males >50
6.9% males/females 4-12
6.3% males 35-49
5.6% males 20-34
Interview with 52-year-old fan from Chiba:
Thereason why she has continued to cook/eat curry every week during thisyear's summer: so as to get the barcodes from the curry packaging inhopes of winning a ticket to Premium Night event at DisneySea
- She checks for Arashi's shows in the TV listings daily and records them
-While watching Arashi's concert DVD, she sings along (the footage showsher and her 27-year-old daughter singing along with her waving heruchiwa)
Why she is a fan:
- They do not feel like 'stars', but more like normal guys
- She feels healed by just seeing their smiling faces
- When asked how she would feel when she finally sees them in person, she said she might cry
Part 2: Interview with 35-year-old female fan (mother of 4 children) who has been a fan for a year
- Arashi are a source for her enjoyment in life, she is energised by (watching) them
- She sent out 40 applications for the DisneySea event
- she attended the DisneySea Premium Night event with her 37-year-old sister
5 million applications received for DisneySea event, only 3525 pairs (7050 tickets) were given out.
1 box of curry costs 300yen, to send out an application you need to collect barcodes from 3 boxes of curry.
Hence it was calculated that Arashi fans spent a total of 4.5 billion yen. (300yen x 3 x 5 million)
Reason why Arashi is popular amongst females "arafou" (slang for "Around 40") according to a journalist: - In Arashi, they see the shape of their Ideal Family, since Arashi get along so well
-They are seen as both Ideal Lovers and Ideal Family Members at the sametime, and give the fans a feeling of safety yet also make their heartsgo faster
Why are Arashi so popular amongst the "Around 40" age bracket in particular?, according to the journalist: -At that age, the fans are at the stage in life where they are done withchildbearing, and have already worked very hard in their careers, it'sabout time for them to start to want to reward themselves and yearn forstuff to 'heal' them. Just so happens that they found out about Arashiat this point in their lives.
- Arashi have the politeness not seen so much in young people these days
-The "Around 40" age group belong to the generation where theyappreciate 'finally succeeding after continuously working hard', yetthe current era seems gloomy and less hopeful
- Hence they feel anaffinity with how Arashi have worked hard over the last 10 years tofinally get to where they are now, as the fans themselves feel likethey too, have been trying hard in their own lives
Interview with a Marketing Consultant on why Arashi has seen an increase in their "Around 40" fans: - The "Around 40" group were the group of people that were right smack in the middle of the Idol Boom of the 1980s
- Hence they already have it in their cultural DNA to like idols
The show also goes on to track what an Around-40 fan would have experienced in her life:
1970s: The beginnings of the Idol era
The Around-40 were born during this decade.
1980s:The Idol Boom at its peak. The Around-40 were teenagers and were mostprobably fans of idols at this point of their life.
1990s: The peak era of the Idols had ended, and Artistes/Singers became very popular.
The Around-40 were in their twenties/thirties and were busy in their careers, getting married, and having children
Now:The Around-40's children have grown up and they have more time tothemselves, leaving them time to discover Arashi and become fans.
Music Station [2009.11.13]
Artistes: Arashi + EXILE
Summary: Hello to translucent outfits in HD! Our boys learn that they will never live down the scandal of their first MS appearance while Takeuchi-san, the female host, tries to rationalise the reason behind the outfit choice. See Arashi's reaction to their teenage selves, and also Sakuraiba and Ohmiya teasing! In between interacting with EXILE, the boys also talk about their concert must-do's, why Aiba-chan can never become Jun-kun, and the dirty tricks they use to avoid paying for their food ♥
Size: 554MB
Length: 18:03 min
Noriyuki Higashiyama, Yoshino Kimura headed for marriage?
Shonentai's Noriyuki Higashiyama (43) has reportedly found love. He is said to be seriously dating actress Yoshino Kimura (33), with the prospect of getting married next spring.
Based on multiple sources close to the couple, their relationship started in March 2008 when they acted together in Yukio Ninagawa's production of "Farewell My Concubine." At that time, Higashiyama had broken up with actress Rina Uchiyama (28) about half a year earlier, while Kimura had barely broken up with Yusuke Iseya (33).
The two are said to frequently be spending time together, and Higashiyama has even shared a meal with Kimura and her parents. Kimura has also reportedly informed a few of her close friends that they are getting married.
Post time 26-11-2009 10:25 PM
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